Originally Posted by
Phileas
I was one of the guys reporting the CC problem with Mindpearl. I am now exploring the possibility of booking with BA. For this purpose, I slighty changed my itinerary in a way where I was expecting the surcharges to skyrocket (2 BA longhaul instead of QR), but to my surprise, I ended up with a quote that is lower than what AA quoted me.
This is likely not a general rule, but the point is that you might still be able to build a reasonably priced RTW even if you have to ticket it through BA. I actually find more of an issue all the bugs in the online booking tool which prevent you from selecting many valid flights. As I have not yet been able to find a similar resource like the AA RTW desk for other OW airlines, this is at the moment what makes the OW explorer out of SA a no go for me.
A lot depends on the specifics of your route. The online tool seems to work with CX as the first carrier, and YQ on CX routes is less.
If this change with Mindpearl is permanent, it might be worthwhile to seek out a competent travel agent in SA through whom you could book the ticket. The TA would be the purchaser, avoiding FX issues with Mindpearl. Emeco in Egypt, for example, has issued umpteen RTW tickets on behalf of AA.